Garden Greetings

Well, hello there!

I bet you thought I'd finally been confined to that psychiatric hospital for the craftily insane hung up my ATG714 adhesive gun and called it quits. It's been so long since I've posted that I forgot my own password! I really have no excuse for my absence other than laziness--and a period of lack of inspiration.

The good (?) news is that I've found my mojo again. I'm really going to make a concerted effort to post more of my projects and keep the blog fresh. So, I hope you will bear with me.

Recently, I finally succumbed to the temptation (after spending the equivalent of the GNP of a small developing country) and became a Stampin' Up! demonstrator. I know, I know... It seems like everyone and there mother is a demonstrator these days. But, give me a bit of credit--I'm a MALE Stampin' Up demonstrator (lol). Seriously, I've been so impressed with the products and company that it is an honor to be a demonstrator. I know you have many options when looking for your Stampin' Up! products, but I hope to provide great service, perks and fun along the way. So if you are in the market for something, please keep me in mind. But enough about that. Let's make something.

I was itching to try a project with one of my new stamp sets--and yet wanting to do something "different". So, this is the card I came up with:

Materials List:

--Stampin' Up! Garden Greetings Set (#113716)
--Stampin' Up! Stamp Pad in Basic Black (#101179)
--clear transparency sheet
--mica cardstock
--decorative paper
--brads (4)
--adhesive
--EK Success corner rounder punch
--Tim Holtz piercing tool

To begin the process, I choose a lovely and large bloom stamp from the Stampin' Up! Garden Greetings set. Using the Basic Black Stampin' Pad, I cut a piece of clear transparency into a 3" x 4 1/4" block.



I then stamped the image several times in random places on the transparency and allowed it to dry completely.



The base of my card is going to be a standard A2 size. Therefore you need a piece of cardstock measuring 5 1/2" x 8 1/2". I chose to use a beautiful piece of mica cardstock that has an incredible sheen to it (that unfortunately does NOT photograph well). For the element pieces of my card, I needed a decorative paper measuring 3" x 4 1/4" (to mount my transparency stamping on). The paper I chose was from the Basic Grey Two Scoops collection. It has lovely pinks in it that compliment the base cardstock and the swirls provide a great backdrop to my blossoms.



To attach the transparency film to my decorative paper block, I decided to use brads--in this case four (4) Doodlebug Sugared brads (two pink, two white). Not only will the brads hold my elements together, they'll do double duty as stamen in my flowers. For easy attachment, I used my Tim Holtz piercing tool to make holes through the transparency and decorative paper where I wanted my brads to attach.



Once all four brads are in place, the element is ready to be adhered to the card base.



As a final decorative touch for my card, I decided to round the corners of my card using an EK Success punch.



Here's a look at the final card and a close-up of the detail.




Well, I hope this inspires you to think Spring! I know the weather is not cooperating in many parts of the country, but it's definitely time for us to put some flowers into our lives!

See you soon...and keep crafting!

Card Spotlight: Stamping

For this card project, I wanted to use a couple of new stamp sets I recently acquired. It's a simple card with a bit of bling.

I used an A2 sized piece of smooth white DCWV cardstock. The images and sentiment are stamped using Tsukineko VersaMagic Chalk Pigment Ink in Jumbo Java. The crown stamp is from an Autumn Leaves clear acrylic set called "Gypsy Style" by artist Rhonna Farrar. The "Live With Intention" sentiment is from a limited edition Hampton Arts clear acrylic set entitled "Intention" by artist Marah Johnson. The border stamp I used is from Sassafras Lass and it was stamped with Tsukineko Brilliance Ink in Coffee Bean.



For a bit of bling and visual interest, I used a Sakura Quickie Glue Pen and some Doodlebug Sugar Coating in bronze to highlight a portion of the swirl below the crown. I also used a Sakura Gelly Roll Glitter Pen in Clear to highlight the crown.



As a final touch, I used the same border stamp to stamp the inside of the card.




This was a quick and easy card project that took on a bit more sophistication with the addition of the glitter touches and double border stamping. Don't forget to use your stamps on the insides of your cards--as well as the outsides.

Create--and keep crafting!

Mosaic Tile Postcard

This project is modern take on the traditional postcard. It is done with a chipboard base, stamped images and distressing techniques. Your finished project will look something like this:


front side

reverse side

To do this project, you will need the following tools and supplies:



--a piece of chipboard measuring 4.5" x 6.5" (I chose to use a piece from the DCWV Chipboard Mat Stack Brights (wine), as it is already finished on both sides. If you use bare chipboard, you can choose to cover it with decorative papers that will match your stamped image or solid cardstock)

--a piece of white textured cardstock measuring 4" x 5" (I chose Bazzill corduroy textured cardstock in Snow)

--a rubber or acrylic stamp of your choosing (I chose an Inkadinkado stamp from "Affair of the Heart" Collection)

--ink pad matching your base chipboard color (I chose Cat's Eye Queue in Ruby)

--a Tim Holtz Distress Ink pad (I chose the color walnut stain)

--several pieces of Kleenex or tissue

--adhesive of your choice (I used the Xyron 510 and Zig pen)

--glitter (I used Doodlebug Sugar Coating)

--a sheet of coordinating solid color paper

The key technique for this postcard is a trick using your favorite scoring device. I love my Scor-Pal. The use of textured cardstock also adds a lot of character to the distressing of this piece.

You want to take a piece of white textured cardstock and trim it to 4" x 5". Using your Scor-Pal (or other device), you want to score your cardstock at 1", 2" and 3" on the shorter side. Turn your cardstock 90 degrees and then score the 5" side at the following intervals: 1", 2", 3", 4". What you will end up with is a grid pattern of one inch blocks which will create the illusion of mosaic tiles in your finished piece.



Before stamping your chosen image, make sure that you stamp the side on which your scored your textured cardstock. It creates a deeper furrow on your scores and breaks up your stamped image for the desired effect. I chose to stamp the image multiple times to fill the cardstock.



Allow your stamped images to dry completely. Then you want to take your Tim Holtz Distress Ink pad. The secret tool you want to use for application is two pieces of Kleenex (or other tissue) balled up for hand application. You want to dab your tissue on the ink pad and then hand apply with strokes going in the same direction on each application.



The amount of distressing you want to apply to your stamped images is a matter of personal preference. You obviously don't want to use so much stain that it totally obscures your stamped images. However, the more ink you use the clearer your scored channels will be accentuated creating the desired mosaic effect.



Once you're happy with the distressing and all of the inks have dried, you can now adhere your cardstock to the chipboard base. I found it easy to run the cardstock through my Xyron 510. I then used a white rub-on (the word "LOVE") to accent the corner. Any further embellishment is up to your heart's desire. But, rememeber, you want your mosaic to be the centerpiece of the postcard and draw the most eye-attention.

On the reverse side, I simply glued a piece of solid pink paper and added another Inkadinkado stamped image to the corner. This leaves you the bulk of the space to do your writing.

Keep experimenting with this mosaic stamping technique. You'll be surprised what a versatile (and easy) technique it is. But, it will look like you spent a long time to achieve the effect. Afterall, who doesn't love immediate gratification more than crafters?

Keep Crafting!